Transition, Democratic Governance and Human Rights in Venezuela

Abstract

This article aims to explain the relationship between transition, democratic governance and
human rights by using a conceptual and theoretical review and later applying it to the Venezuelan
case. The transition process deepens democracy which then is consolidated with a general
accord that gives sense to it (Diamond et al., 2015). In Latin America, the democratic deficit
requires of democratic consolidation with the challenge to overcome poverty and fortify the
institutions having the citizen well-being the goal of democracy. In Venezuela, the governance
of the political system, achieved between 1958 and 1998, is characterized since 1999 by the
growing economics, social, political and democratic crisis, making necessary an integral definition
of democracy. Chávez´s government increased authoritarianism with a mechanism of
“autocratical legalism” (Corrales, 2015). The approved laws weakened democracy and deteriorated
the human rights. The consensual desires are characteristic of Venezuelans, and the
reclamations and demands have increased in the last decade. A variety of no-governmental
organizations have documented the violation of human rights. The conclusion is that the
results of the parliamentarian elections of December 2015 indicate within the transition, the
beginning of a process of democratic consolidation that has to be completed by the diverse
social and political actors that express an open dialogue and accord to fortify the democracy
of the country.